ALLEGED BREACH OF PRICE ORDER

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23948, 15 May 1943, Page 2

ALLEGED BREACH OF PRICE ORDER

ALLEGATION DENIED (P.A.) WELLINGTON. May 14. Comment was made to-day by Mr Justice Hunter, president of the Price Tribunal, on a Press Association message from Gisborne on May 12 about the prosecution concerning an alleged breach of the price order governing the price of iodised salt, and which has been withdrawn by leave of the Court. He said that this case was reported to the tribunal by an inspector as a breach of the price order and the prosecution was authorised and commenced. Later the inspector reported he had made a mistake, the salt purchased by him being of another brand not covered by the price order. The tribunal thereupon instructed its olliccrs to arrange for the proceedings to be withdrawn. There was perhaps some excuse for the inspector making this mistake, as in the course of his journey he travelled hundreds of miles and visited hundreds of shops, and reported many breaches, Mr Justice Hunter said. A more serious matter was the allegation made in the Court on behalf of the defendant to the effect that the inspector had tricked him into selling the salt in question, with a view to attempting to obtain a conviction, by stating that he suffered from goitre. The inspector was at present in the South Island in the course of his duties, but had been communicated with by telephone and denied that he had made any such statement as attributed to him by the defendant. He stated that nothing at all was said about goitre, and that he merely asked the price of the salt and bought it in the ordinary way. The tribunal would not for a moment tolerate any trickery nr subterfuge by its inspector? in the course of their duties, and this was well known to inspectors.